Windows 7: stop these windows from opening in explorer instead of on the desktop

I want it like xp-pro--I have a shortcut on the desktop called Bobs Docs. It contains every .doc-pdf-txt-etc file I need from the house to articles on finance to work on the car to you name it.. In xp I would click on this it opens on the whole screen--showing all--in Windows 7 I click on this it opens in explorer with explorer taking up part of the screen with the file system on the left etc. I hate this. I want the window all by itself on the desktop w/o any part of explorer showing.. How?

Thanks Bob

If I understand you correctly, you can easily modify the way this folder appears when you open it. When the folder is opened, click the Organize button near the top left side and select Layout. Uncheck the Navigation pane and any of the other panes you don't want to see.
Hope this helps!

gees--so simple--thanks much--Windows 7 such a new system--only 3 days into it

how about this one--pdf files show ok--but all the doc and txt files show weird..in notepad & word pad--where most of them were created--the doc files show all wrong too--weird characters- created with ms word--old style--not the one with the docx extension.

hoping on the install of word they show correctly--but it seems the txt files should.

don't understand this

What version of Word will you be installing? Older versions of that program can't handle the new .docx files, but newer versions are backward compatible. Word should also be able to display your .txt files. I am less sure why Notepad won't correctly display your .txt files if these were originally created with Notepad.